"I would be furious if my Democratic Chair kept a candidate from me. The Town Democratic Chair is not there to be a screening agent, this was a Town Democratic event - not a private television station event, the public was invited and the declared Democratic candidates are to appear. The invited does not say "just a select few." It says the Democratic candidates. I am one, and I should be there."

"I am a declared candidate for governor. My paperwork was filed more than a year ago," said Lee Whitnum. "I told them I would be attending. Laura Orban, Brookfield Democratic Chair informed me that because she felt I did not have enough issues on my website she had excluded me. In a second phone conversation I informed her that I had added more issues on my website. I also pointed out to her that Luke Bronin had no issues on his website and he was included in the debate."

In a phone conversation this past Friday Whitnum told Orban that she would be attending the event. "I thought it was settled." Whitnum was sitting quietly with the other candidates when Orban demanded Whitnum get off the stage. "How dare she," said Whitnum.

Whitnum refused and replied. "You are Wasserman-Schultzing me." Whitnum was referring to Wendy Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic chair who was asked to step down in 2016 because she gave preferential treatment to Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

The interchange between Whitnum and Orban was caught on tape. Whitnum was caught on tape as saying , "I am a declared candidate. Don't Wasserman Shultz me, let me participate in this debate." As recently as April 5, 2018, Whitnum had appeared in Suffield in a debate with the other Democratic candidates. Whitnum has appeared in more than six debate thus far with no complaints from anyone.

In response to the event, Neil Vigdor of Hearst Media printed, "Chairman Nick Balletto told The Courant. “...based on Lee Whitnum’s behavior tonight, and based on her behavior in the past, it’s clear that Lee Whitnum should not hold elected office."

​"What?! ...in the past? What is Balletto talking about? Six years ago in 2012, I called Chris Murphy a whore for denying the existence of the AIPAC, the Israel lobby. I will not let anyone, lie to the People and get away with it," said Whitnum. "The bigger issue is how a sitting senator could deny the existence of the most powerful lobby group in Washington, other than that, what is Balletto talking about? What behavior? I'm fighting so hard to clean up the Connecticut judiciary for all of us."

Whitnum claims Heart Media is smearing her. Niel Vigdor, of Hearst, wrote today, that Whitnum is "barred from serving the governor with lawsuits," to which Whitnum replies. "Not true. I have told Neil Vidgor over-and-over again for years that I dropped the slander case against Governor Malloy by not replying to a Motion to Strike. My choice. No orders were ever issued in that case - NONE. Why can't Neil Vigdor get it through his thick skull: NO ORDERS WERE EVER ISSUED. Vigdor is either an incompetent reporter or he has purposefully set out to smear me. I'm so sick of it, ten years of Hearst Media smears."

Despite trying to have the Whitnum v. Malloy case (FST-CV-10-5013419-S) restored to the docket twice, it continues to mysterious disappear from the judicial website, "Welcome to lawless Connecticut, which is part of what I am working so hard to change," said Whitnum.

Whitnum will appear in Danbury court on Thursday, April 19, 2018. She will also take this issue up with Nick Balletto. "I'd like an explanation for his words," said Whitnum "what behavior is he talking about?"###​